Make it Custom

Silver horn caps are a way to customize a saddle with a brand or initials. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES GULLION.Make it Custom Spurs offer a great way to show off your brand. PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDY GARRETT.

A leather handbag or tote bag is a great gift and can be easily customized. PHOTO COURTESY OF WRANGO CHAP BAGS.

Taking gift giving to a new level

BY DEANNA NELSON-LICKING

Giving a custom gift or gift certificate can take your gift giving to a whole new level. From a tooled leather handbag to a fully carved saddle, the options for western gifts are unlimited and will fit most budgets. Maybe silver spurs or a bit with initials or a brand for a special cowboy or a personalized gift for an anniversary. There are even Facebook groups dedicated to connecting buyers with American made products.

It is wise to check the creditability of the maker and if purchasing online make sure PayPal or your credit card company will cover it. The internet makes searching for reviews and leaving reviews quite easy and makers appreciate a nice comment about their work. Most custom craftsmen and women require half the money down before they start a project and some do have contracts. Asking friends and relatives can also be helpful in finding talented local makers.

Gift certificates are a great option if you are looking at custom hats, since the hatmaker needs to measure the head and build the hat to fit well. The same is true for bootmakers with

handmade boots built specifically for each foot. Gift certificates don’t have to just be a boring envelope; one for custom jewelry could be wrapped around a vase of flowers. Maybe hidden in a jar or sack of the recipient’s favorite candy or coffee, or tucked inside a new wallet. Take a little time and thought to make it special.

Wyoming engraver James Gullion of Gullion Bits from Jeffrey City, can build just about anything, bits, spurs, horn and cantle plates, jewelry, buckles and knives. He likes the old-fashioned way of maintaining credibility. “I like a personal check, they can mail it to me, they know when I cash it and if it gets lost in the mail they can cancel it. I try to keep my list short, about six months out. I put your name on a list and when I get ready to build it then I take the money.”

Wrango Chap Bags are custom leather bags handmade by Shannon Wrango and Tuffy Flagler in Dawn, Texas. They offer many different styles and sizes with options for customizing. For last-minute giving they have a nice selection of bags already made up for purchase. They offer layaway for their more expensive bags and will accept check or card payments. Gift certificates are another way to give a nice bag but allow the special person to make it their own. The best method is to visit their Facebook

Custom bits often help your horse perform better than their mass-market counter-parts.

Engraved silver offers many ways to customize and is well suited for gifting.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMES GULLION.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

Bags can be built in many different shapes and sizes. PHOTO COURTESY OF WRANGO CHAP BAGS.

Jewelry can be easily customized with some hunters using their own elk ivories as stones. PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDY GARRETT.

Personalized belt buckles are a great gift for someone who has it all. PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDY GARRETT.

Silver spurs, both useful and as a collector item. PHOTO COURTESY OF JAMES GULLION.

A spur in the raw, handcrafted items take a long time to build, with many makers being months to years out. PHOTO BY DEANNA NELSON-LICKING.

With just a wrist measurement, custom bracelets are a great way to surprise a loved one.

PHOTO COURTESY OF RANDY GARRETT. page, Wrango Chap Bags or Instagram to look through their photo albums and take notes of the descriptive text with each photo. “From there we modify, customize the bag they liked. Prepaid once we find the leather and secure the hardware, theirs or ours. Time frame is anywhere from two to six weeks,” Shannon Wrango said.

Randy Garrett of Randy Garrett Custom is a talented, largely self-taught silversmith and gear maker from Alliance, Nebraska. “Basically I make one of a kind stuff so there isn’t much made up to look at. They can call and tell me what they want and I give them a price but I like to meet in person, each thing is individual so they have to decide what they want.”

Garrett builds spurs, bits, belt buckles and jewelry. Each piece is unique; he can add brands, names and even will build matching jewelry sets, bracelets, pendants, earrings and rings, items that can be ordered all at once or over a period of time. “Some of the men I deal with tend to forget

EST . 1980

LIMITED TIME SUBSCRIPTION OFFER!

Local, national, and international livestock industry news

Livestock Auction Reports Award-Winning Columnists Classifieds • Special Interest Sections and much more!

$50 OR ONEYEAR

$90

TWOYEARS

CALL TOLL-FREE: 1-800-275-5646

MENTION THIS AD WHEN CALLING FOR THIS SPECIAL RATE!

*$90 for 104 issues (2 years) and $50 for 52 issues (one year) rate valid for all new and renewing subscribers. Special rate not dependent on length of subscription. Must call 800-275-5646 to subscribe at this rate. Subscribers will be billed one time at $90 for 104 issues or $50 for 52 issues. All subscriptions include full digital access to our online edition at www.thefencepost.com. A sincere thanks from all of us here at The Fence Post.

Tuffy Flagler working in his shop, with one of his feline assistants trying on a bag for size.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WRANGO CHAP BAGS. things so I try to help them out. I do require fifty percent down to start a job and the balance at the end. I have PayPal but I still take a check, if it clears then I send them the stuff,” he said.

Garrett offers gift certificates since many items require sizing and measurements, such as spurs, bracelets and rings. He uses quite a bit of German silver (Nickle) since it holds a polish and won’t scratch as easily as true silver, especially on spurs. Garrett freehand engraves and has been crafting items for twenty years; rodeoing is how he got his start.

James Marshall of Marshall Custom Hats in Arthur, Nebraska offers gift certificates with half the money required before he starts building. Hat makers are typically six months to a year out on their orders so if you are wanting a custom hat for a certain event plan well ahead of time.

Rick Linneman is a Wyoming collector of custom, unique cowboy and western gear and art. He is a strong advocate for buying handmade items. “Not every bosal out of the feed store will fit a horse, spend a little more and get the good quality, something that will work. You don’t need a hundred bits, just spend a little more on higher quality.”

Linneman is a true connoisseur; he studies and reads books on gear and makers. “Leather (carving) is art, it brings it to life. Something catches my eye and makes my heart smile; I look for the wow factor, and the one of one.”

He takes the time to learn about makers and develop personal relationships with the craftsmen before he buys. “I follow them, they are my friends, and I check the quality. With bits and spurs, the flow of the silver. I look at it a long time unless something catches my eye. They are there to help you, call the makers and most will even work with you on payments. You don’t get the stuff until you pay for it.”

Custom items make wonderful gifts both for a special person and for yourself, just spend some time researching before you order so that it makes your heart smile for many years to come.

Leather goods are a great way to show off your colorful side.

PHOTO COURTESY OF WRANGO CHAP BAGS.